validity of dietary diversity

The validity of dietary variety score (DVS) using a short-form questionnaire has not been investigated using dietary diversity based on a quantitative distribution of consumed foods in older Japanese. We examined the association between DVS and objective dietary diversity using a Quantitative Index for Dietary Diversity (QUANTIDD) based on the quantitative distribution of foods consumed by older Japanese community dwellers. The subjects were 65 older Japanese community dwellers aged 60–79 years. We used two kinds of scores for assessment of dietary diversity. At first, dietary diversity was determined using DVS calculated from answers to a questionnaire about frequencies of intake of 10 food groups. Second, dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day dietary record with photographs, and dietary diversity was determined using QUANTIDD. The relationships between DVS and QUANTIDD were assessed using partial correlation coefficients controlling for confounders. The correlation coefficient between DVS and QUANTIDD was moderate (r = 0.212-0.458). After controlling for confounders, those correlation coefficient between DVS and QUANTIDD remained moderate. The findings suggest that there was a moderate relationship between DVS and QUANTIDD, and DVS using a short-form questionnaire may be useful for assessing dietary diversity in older Japanese community dwellers

Functional capacity during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective : To evaluate change in higher-level functional capacity of older Japanese individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods : Four hundred older Japanese individuals completed an online questionnaire in early May 2021. Participants were asked retrospectively about their higher-level functional capacity and lifestyle before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher-level functional capacity was determined as total score on the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC). Total TMIG-IC score ranges from 0 to 13. A decline in higher-level functional capacity was defined as a decrease in TMIG-IC score of more than 2 points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in higher-level functional capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed by paired t-test and a general linear model. Results : Decreased TMIG-IC scores were found in 43 (21.5%) men and 61 (30.5%) women. Among those with higher-level functional capacity, scores for total TMIG-IC and Social Role decreased significantly in both sexes (all p< 0.005). Conclusion : The findings suggest an association of the COVID-19 pandemic with a decrease in higher-level functional capacity, especially in Social Role, among older adults living in Japan

Changes of lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background and Objectives: We examined how food choice motives and dietary habits changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and Study Design: Four hundred elderly Japanese completed an online questionnaire in early May in 2021. Participants were retrospectively asked about their intake of food groups and food choice motives before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dietary diversity was determined using the dietary variety score calculated from the food frequency questionnaire with 10 food groups. The importance of each of the nine food choice motives for elderly people was assessed. Each scores ranged from 1 to 5. Changes in food choice motives and dietary behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed using the paired t-test and a general linear model. Results: Among the food choice motives, scores for the importance of weight control, physical well-being and economical efficiency significantly increased in both sexes (all p<0.05). Dietary diversity score was lower during the COVID-19 pandemic than that before the pandemic in women (p=0.019), but there was no difference in men. In the multivariate adjustment model, physical well-being and economical efficiency were shown to have significant positive associations with the COVID-19 pandemic in women (p=0.034 and 0.009, respectively). In contrast, eating out was shown to have a significant inverse association with the COVID-19 pandemic in women (p=0.009). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in some food choice motives and a decrease in the frequency of eating out among elderly female Japanese